The Dance With Focus
The Dance With Focus: How To Say Yes To What's Most Important!
You have heard about focus and how that is important for success, right? Focus is something I have been cultivating over the last few years and there seems to be yet another level of focus that can emerge. Bringing focus into how I spend time, how I create and what projects I engage in, has brought me greater sense of freedom, peace and general well-being. I have found myself happier and healthier since 2010 when I began bringing in principles of focus into my life.
Yet, recently, the bold head of fascinating new areas have drawn my attention. I am getting more and more intrigued by the ancient vedic philosophy of yoga and meditation and the idea of an intensive teacher training course in yoga sounded enticing. And today, I found myself getting thrilled by the study of ayurvedic principles of health and healing. For some time, the traditional wisdom teaching of shamanism have galvanized my interest. There have been other ideas that seem glamorously exciting over the years. Even if I decide to embark on a deeper study on these subjects, and wonderful as they all are, these ideas are simply a test for my current focus and commitments. Do you find yourself in such a situation?
Focus, I am finding, is not about saying no to the ideas (requests, projects, trips, invitations) that come to you. It is about saying yes to those ideas (your dream, your rocks, your priorities) you have committed yourself to. A commitment that says, I shall go through with this all the way, letting nothing distract me or dissuade me from completion. It also means determine beforehand what the outcome will be and what you will put into it. So, now that I have made the commitment to my main focus, then how to maintain that focus and how to determine whether I say yes to new ideas? Simple. I have discovered some useful tips that I have implemented to stay focused on my priorities and I know that these are helpful to anyone who wants to do the same. Here are the seven stages of creating and maintaining focus:
First: Know what your values are
discovering what values and principles float your boat,
identifying these values can make decision-making easy as 1-2-3
Second, Know what your rocks are
getting clear about your priorities, your main focus and the area that is most important for you,
creating a life-blueprint and clear vision for your life + project
Third, Determine what the outcome looks like
clarifying what are the key elements that the end result need to have,
knowing what success look like,
clarifying markers so you know that you have achieved your goals,
(no need to know about the hows!)
Fourth, What does my commitment looks like
creating an easy to follow plan that excites you,
clarifying time, effort, external assistance/partners, information you need for taking next action steps
Fifth, Simple practices to achieve your main focus
the Seinfeld inspired Daily Calendar,
the Jack Canfield's power-hour,
Michael Roach inspired Circle Day
Sixth, How to continuously say yes your main focus
using your values to keep you focused,
saying no that shows respect to others,
key questions to ask before taking on new projects
Seven, Doing weekly and monthly introspections to keep you on track
what questions to answer at the end of the week and month,
clarify goals and assess next steps,
how to recommit to your plan + goals,
how to review and celebrate success and accomplishments
Eight: A not-so-secret secret to success: letting your heart lead the way to your treasures
a guided visualization that I have created to help me follow my heart's true calling, and I will teach you how to do your own guided visualization that you can use anytime you need to listen to your heart.
There is a lot to share about each of these steps and if you are really wanting to bring in a new wave of focus, clarity and commitment to your life, I know you will find the ecourse on Focus hugely beneficial.
In all your endeavors, I am wishing you peace, harmony and prosperity.
Heart, Spirit and Angels are with you!
Love, Sophia
